Water wheels, drum towers and days gone by

On the second day of your China adventure holiday, you'll explore Beijing with your driver and English-speaking guide. You'll be picked up at your hotel around 8:30 in the morning. The first stop is the famous Tian'anmen Square: the gateway to heavenly peace. After a stop you'll visit the Temple of Heavenly Peace (entrance fee 35 Yuan, approximately £3.50) and the colourful Lama Temple (entrance fee approximately £2.50).

You'll walk among red pagodas, monks and prayer houses with the scent of incense and sandalwood all around you. Since you will have a guide accompanying you, you not only can ask him everything about Beijing, you can also ask him any practical questions you may have.

The Great Wall of China should be a part of every China adventure holiday. A hike over the wall from Jinshanling is the most enjoyable way to get a sense of the vastness of the Great Wall of China. The 10km hike is quite strenuous; you'll be climbing and descending for about 4 hours over restored and original wall segments.

Recently, the Simatai section of the Great Wall has been closed for renovation and is unavailable for clients to hike. The hike that we offer will still depart from Jinshanling and continue onto the point of closure at Simatai and then continue back to Jinshanling. Even with the closure of the Simatai section we still feel that the Jinshanling segment is the best place to experience the stunning landscapes in the mountainous area of the Luanping County.

You'll be awakened from your slumber on day five of your China adventure holiday before arriving in Xi'an. You'll be greeted in the arrival hall and taken straight to your hotel and the transfer should take approximately 15 minutes.

The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish. You may want to have a look around the large boulevards and we would suggest visiting the charming Muslim neighbourhood. The heart of the city is the large Bell Tower in the middle of the traffic intersection. Nearby you'll also find the Drum Tower. If you climb the tower around 17:00 you'll have a wonderful view of the city, the Muslim neighbourhood and you'll catch a demonstration of Chinese kettle drums- this is sure to be a real highlight of your China trip.

This morning you'll continue your China adventure holiday as you're picked up at 9:00 and taken to the excavation site where you'll see more than 7000 amazing clay soldiers, clay horses and clay chariots. This is the world famous Terracotta Army and is a real highlight of your China travel experience. The site is located about 40 minutes from Xi'an and was once created as the future royal tomb for the then 14 year old King Zheng. Start your visit in hall 3 and then go on to hall 2 and 1; this way you'll save the best for last. After about 2 hours you'll have seen all there is to see; You'll be back in Xi'an around 13.00 in the afternoon.

If you're looking for more action and adventure in the afternoon of this China adventure holiday, why not go for a bike ride across Xi'an's city wall. The wall runs for 12km in a square surrounding the city. If you want to avoid the busy city of Xi'an, this is quite a treat. You'll pay 40 Yuan to access the wall and another 15 Yuan for 1.5 hour bike rental and a 200 Yuan deposit.

This morning you'll arrange your own transport to the airport, where you'll catch a plane to Chengdu to continue your China adventure holiday. You'll be met by one of our representatives who will take you to a comfortable hotel on the ancient walking street, Jinli. Your hotel is within walking distance from several backpacker hostels, perfect if you want to organise any addiitonal activities.

The area surrounding your hotel has many fine restaurants and during your China trip in Chengdu you may want to try the areas most popular dish, the Sichuan Hotpot. This is a bowl with boiling hot water that is placed on the table with raw meat, vegetables and herbs served separately for you to cook in the bowling water. Holly's hostel usually offers Sichuan cooking classes to teach you the basics of Sichuan cooking.

You'll be picked up at 7:30 in the morning so that you can arrive at the panda research centre when the pandas are fed. It may be a zoo; however it is a very animal friendly and well maintained zoo. It's endearing to watch the pandas eating, playing and sleeping and if you visit the instructional panda museum you'll understand more clearly why the panda is an endangered species. 

After an hour or two, you'll have seen all there is to see at the panda research centre and you'll arrive back at your hotel around 10:30. The rest of the day is free to spend as you please.

Today you'll arrange your own transport to Chengdu airport (approximately £4) where you'll fly an hour to Lijiang to continue your China adventure holiday. On arrival you'll be greeted by our representative and taken to our courtyard hotel in the historic part of town. This area known as the 'old town of 'Dayan' is listed on Unesco's world heritage list. Your hotel has a courtyard with sitting areas, plants and lanterns.

The countless red lanterns in Lijiang are all beautifully lit up in the evenings. Soak up the atmosphere on your China adventure holiday as you stroll along paths, bridges, cobble stone streets and you're likely to soon here singing. Men and women of the Naxi minority have a tradition of singing limericks to each other. It sounds romantic and sweet, however at times it's just downright funny. There's screaming, drinking, laughing and dancing to accompany the limerick singing so you're sure to be entertained.

On the tenth morning of your China adventure holiday you'll go on a bike ride through area surrounding Lijiang. You'll ride over a flat road towards  the traditional Naxi village Baisha, where you'll park your bike and visit the legendary herbal practitioner Dr. Ho. He's over 80 years old, however when you enter his home he greets you with warmth, friendliness and cup of herbal tea. You'll return to Lijiang around noon where you'll say goodbye to your guide.

After lunch you can continue visiting the sights on your China trip as you discover the Black Dragon Pool Park (entrance fee 40 Yuan). This park is home to some of the most often photographed areas in China, such as the lake featured in the picture, which when the sun shines reflects the temple and tops of the surrounding mountains beautifully.  

From Lijiang, you'll head out today for your two day trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge. This is a very popular part of the China adventure holiday. You'll travel by bus to the starting point of the trek for about three hours. After you've paid the entrance fee to the gorge (50 Yuan) you'll start your trek with your guide. All those with a reasonable level of physical fitness can participate in the trek. 

The first part of the trek will take 2 hours and will end at a Naxi guest house. Here you'll  have lunch (not included in the price of this trip) and then continue on to the Halfway Lodge. This is where you'll be able to take off your shoes and spend the night in a simple wooden building with a shared bathroom. There is a heater in the building; however it can get quite cold here, especially from October until May. There's a large veranda in front of the house with a view of the gorge. On a clear night you'll see a breathtaking sky filled with the moon and many stars- this is sure to be a real highlight of any China trip.

Luckily the second day of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek is less strenuous. You'll hike for about 2 hours, at first along the flat path and later on the path that will descend into the gorge. Eventually you'll reach the bottom of the gorge and the road that runs along the Yangtze River.

This is where a car and driver will be waiting for you. You'll say goodbye to your guide, and continue your China adventure holiday as you travel for about 4 hours to the Tibetan village of Zhongdian. You'll be dropped off at your hotel near the historic city centre.

You'll start off day fifteen of your China adventure holiday with a bike ride along the Yulong River. You'll travel in a small group today along with other Western travellers. The scenery here is every bit as beautiful as it is at the Li River and it features a dramatic array of karst mountains on the banks of the river. You'll leave the main roads and peddle over paths along the river, through farmland and rice paddies and you'll have the karst mountains as constant companions during your ride- this is sure to be a memorable highlight of your trip in China. 

After biking for a while, the bamboo raft will be waiting to take you down the river. After a few kilometres you'll get back on your bike and peddle towards the 'highlight' of this China trip, Moon Hill. You can choose to climb the hill if you wish. In warm temperatures, this could be quite a strenuous climb. However the view from the top will make up for it. Eventually, when you return to your hotel you can unwind with a beer or glass of wine on the terrace.

You'll have the whole of day sixteen of your China adventure holiday to spend as you please. There's plenty to do in this area; you can rent a kayak from the hotel, spend another day on a bicycle to explore the area on your own or you can even take Kung Fu lesson for an hour.

There's quite a show to see on and along the Li and Yulong Rivers in the evenings. The name Zhang Yimao may not ring a bell, however he is the most well known movie director in China and was also responsible for directing the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for instance. He’s created a show here in the outdoors with a backdrop of mountains and the river that attracts about 1000 visitors each and every night. As with most things in China, this show is a large production. The show can be viewed daily from 20:00 - 21:00. Tickets are on sale on location from £15.

At around 9:00 you'll be picked up and a transfer will take you north through Guilin to the next destination on your China adventure holiday; the Longji rice terraces. The village of Ping'an is located in the middle of this area and is only accessible by foot. You'll be awaited at the end of the drive and someone will join you on the 20 minute walk to the village. If you prefer not to carry your luggage during the walk, you can have your baggage carried for 30 Yuan.

You'll stay in a basic guest house in the village during this part of your China trip. Electricity and warm water are available in the mornings and evenings. Your room will have its own private bathroom, and the guest house has a large veranda where you can enjoy the view of the rice fields and mountains. In the afternoon you can walk through the village and visit the Two View Points.

It's the eighteenth day of your China adventure holiday and at 9am you’ll take off with your guide on a walk through the rice paddies, known as The Dragon's Bone or Long Ji. You’ll trek past rivers, through wooded areas and  rice paddies where the Zhuang push their oxen. Around lunch time you’ll have a bite to eat and rest up for a bit in the village before continuing on another two hour walk. At around 15.00 a van will take you back towards Ping'an village limits and you'll walk back to your guesthouse. 

In the evening, the Zhuang will show you their singing and dancing traditions at your request. The Zhuag perform a type of folk dancing for Chinese country women in traditional dress. Afterwards travellers usually gather on the veranda to sit, talk, drink or play a game until late in the evening. 

After you've checked out, you'll take your baggage to the parking lot where your transfer will be waiting to take you to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. You'll then continue your China adventure holiday to an entirely different type of China; the harbour city Shanghai. On arrival, a private transfer will be ready to take you to the quiet aquatic town of Luzhi (a 1 hour drive). Luzhi has more bridges per square kilometre than Venice and you'll have plenty of time during your trip in China to explore this city by foot or by boat.

Your mini van will then take you to your hotel in Tongli, only 30 minutes further down the road, before sun sets. This aquatic town is also quite idyllic and charming. The red Chinese lanterns in the entrance gates and in the courtyard of your hotel will be lit, providing a lovely atmosphere for your arrival.